The Afghanistan caves haunted by the Taliban

Refuge: Zahra Nazari in her mountain cave home with two of her children (Pic: Shaista Chishty)

Bamyan may be one of Afghanistan’s safest, if neglected, regions – yet its inhabitants live in fear of a Taliban return.

A fundamentalist reign of terror ten years ago brought torture and mass murder to this spectacular setting, 130km (80 miles) north-west of the capital, Kabul.

It is one of the rare provinces where, despite the previous occupancy, Taliban sympathisers are said to be scarce.

Yet two stark reminders of that gory rule remain – the towering chasms in the mountains where two sixth-century Buddhas stood until they were blown up in 2001 for being ‘un-Islamic’.

Many families stayed, whether in the valley or in the mountain caves – two-thirds of which are occupied by internally displaced refugees.

One is mother-of-six Zahra Nazari, 32, whose family have lived in the peaks for years – only interrupted by the Taliban reign, when they fled to Behsud.

Her brother, a mujahideen fighter, was shot dead in the northern region of Mazar-e-Sharif, while her father, Jomakhan Hussain, was killed in Bamyan.

Hope: Uzra Lali has learned to read and write since the liberation of Bamyan (Pic: Shaista Chishty)

She told Metro: ‘He was shot here in the mountains and died right in front of me – in my arms.

‘I can’t really remember anything more from that time except how I cried.’

She and her surviving relatives managed to flee to Iran, only returning once they felt sure Nato forces had driven their tormentors away. Her husband, Mohammad, 40, who served a Taliban-imposed jail sentence, now works in the police, but suffered leg injuries in a landmine explosion four years ago.

Harrowing ordeals live long in the mind, Zahra admits. ‘Even hearing the Taliban name is enough to frighten me,’ she said. ‘We hope they never come back again – but who can say for sure?’

Between 400,000 and 600,000 people are believed to live in Bamyan province. The main town of the same name rises as high as 800m (2,600ft) in altitude and has a population of 36,000.

Among the success stories of the London-based charity Islamic Relief’s education programmes there is Uzra Lali.

The 32-year-old learned to read and write in the charity’s literacy classes and now employs 48 women, embroidering bags, rugs and other furnishings.

Her family lived in neighbouring Wardak province until their village was attacked by the Taliban in 1998. Her husband, Abdul Hamid, was jailed for alleged offences against Islam, while Uzra fled to Pakistan for three years before being reunited with their five children in the newly liberated town of Bamyan. Yet many problems remain: the remote setting can deter investors, while a private clinic recently shut after only months as locals could not pay the fees.

For its tentatively hopeful residents, the region does, at least, feel comparatively peaceful. For now, anyway…

Reminder: The chasm where one of the sixth-century Buddhas once stood (Pic: Shaista Chishty)

Islamists ‘taking over once troops withdraw’

The Taliban has regained control of large swathes of Afghanistan and their influence is likely to expand after controversial presidential elections, security experts have warned.

The Islamic fundamentalists now dominate eastern and southern parts of the country and are ‘biding their time’ for Western troops to withdraw, Middle East analysts believe.

Afghans head to the ballot box next Saturday. Claims of vote-tampering and disputes are expected, as when Hamid Karzai was re-elected in 2009.

There have been several terrorist attacks in the capital, Kabul. Last week, a reporter and his family were assassinated. On Tuesday, a double suicide bomb killed two policemen.

Omar Hamid of IHC Country Risk said: ‘We are already in a situation where there is a very weak central government, while the Taliban is the ascendant waiting for forces to leave.

‘Many people will feel that if the government can’t guarantee security in the capital, then they are hardly likely to do so elsewhere.’

There is no clear favourite to win the presidential election on April 5.